TexAmericas Center has completed a three-year project dedicated to making more of its property formerly used by Red River Army Depot able to accomodate new businesses.
With the help of the Economic Development Administration and Texas Capital Fund, the grants helping the projects totaled around $1.25 million.
The works completed include the installation of more than 9,600 feet of an 18-inch sanitary sewer line, 3,300 feet of an 8-inch sewer main, one sanitary sewer lift station, 4,430 feet of a 10-inch water line and five fire hydrants. The grants also funded improvements to improve roads, accessibility and service connections. Accessibility projects included adding handicapped-accessible ramps to a 12,000 square-foot leased space and reconstruction of a parking lot.
On the TAC East Campus, the connection of utilities to the former Area D warehouse complex added 269,800 square feet of move-in-ready space to TexAmericas Center's inventory of buildings. The center converted most of its vacant buildings into repurposed buildings with built-out office space, fire suppression, and three-phase electricity that complemented existing docks and rail service. Having move-in ready space greatly increased the attractiveness of TexAmericas Center to new employers.
"We do have prospects for this new space," said Eric Voyles, TAC executive vice president. "We already have proposals for some potential new clients, where we would build a new structure to their needs. We have had such success with the existing buildings on our campuses already that we are running out of that space. The new clients will enjoy completely new buildings that will use the new infrastructure."
Businesses already operating at TexAmericas Center represent a wide range of industries.
"We have taken leads from companies involved in a vast array of sectors in the defense industry, including cyber security as well as component manufacturing that directly supports Red River Army Depot. We have lots of warehouse and distribution companies. We are also working with a supplement company. More news on that one later. All this ensures our 2020 will be a busy one," he said.
Between March and November 2019, the amount of occupied industrial space on the East Campus grew by more than 200,000 square feet. Only 44,300 square feet remains unoccupied in Area D.
These investments mean that about 1,500 acres adjacent to Oak Street on the East Campus are now served by reliable, industrial-capacity water, sewer, gas, electricity and fiber utilities as well as rail and roads. The EDA grant aided in the creation of about 20 jobs at Loc Performance Products, ExpalUSA and an additional tenant in Area D.